Radioactive implant planning system and placement guide system

Abstract

An implant planning system aids delivery of radiation to tumor sites of a patient. The system allows a user to test various combinations of virtual implants, each associated with a corresponding physical implant (e.g., a carrier with an embedded radioactive seed), and to view the dosage area of the virtual implants so that adjustments to the virtual implants may be made until a prescribed dose of radiation to a treatment area is achieved. A treatment plan developed based on the virtual implants may then be used in surgical implantation of the corresponding physical implants. For example, the implant configuration of the treatment plan may be projected onto a treatment surface of a patient, such as in a surgical room, so that physical implants may be placed according to the projected image of the virtual implants.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A computing system for developing a treatment plan for placement of radioactive implants on a treatment surface of a patient, the system comprising:
 a medical imaging device configured to obtain live medical images of a patient, including a treatment surface of the patient that is to receive radioactive therapy; 
 a computer processor; and 
 a computer readable storage medium storing program instructions configured for execution by the computer processor in order to cause the computing system to:
 generate a planning user interface including at least
 a display frame for viewing anatomical images; and 
 a virtual implant toolbar including at least a first selectable tool configured to allow adding of virtual implants to the display frame; 
 
 display the planning user interface on a display device of the computing system; 
 receive, from the medical imaging device, the live medical images; 
 display the live medical images in the display frame of the planning user interface; 
 receive, via user interaction with the first selectable tool, selection of first virtual implant characteristics for a first virtual implant to be added to a treatment plan for the patient, the first virtual implant characteristics defining first physical implant characteristics of a first physical implant adapted for placement on the treatment surface of the patient, the first physical implant characteristics including at least
 a first implant shape, 
 a first implant size, and 
 a first radiation characteristic of a first radioactive seed associated with the first virtual implant, 
 wherein the first radioactive seed is embedded within the first physical implant at a position wherein the first radioactive seed does not directly contact the treatment surface of the patient when the first physical implant is placed on the treatment surface of the patient; 
 
 receive, via user interaction with the first selectable tool, selection of second virtual implant characteristics for a second virtual implant to be added to a treatment plan for the patient, the second virtual implant characteristics defining second physical implant characteristics of a second physical implant adapted for placement on the treatment surface of the patient, the second physical implant characteristics including at least
 a second implant shape, 
 a second implant size, and 
 a second radiation characteristic of a second radioactive seed associated with the second virtual implant, 
 wherein the second radioactive seed is embedded within the second physical implant at a position wherein the second radioactive seed does not directly contact the treatment surface of the patient when the second physical implant is placed on the treatment surface of the patient; 
 
 display the first virtual implant and the second virtual implant in the display frame at non-overlapping positions on the treatment surface of the patient depicted in the display frame, wherein the first and second virtual implants are at least partially transparent such that a portion of the live medical images whereupon the first and second virtual implants are placed is visible through the at least partially transparent first and second virtual implants; 
 receive, via user interaction with the virtual implant toolbar, selection of a second selectable tool configured to initiate movement of a selected one or more virtual implants within the display frame; 
 receive movement inputs associated with the first virtual implant causing the first virtual implant to contact the second virtual implant; 
 apply a physics algorithm, based on the movement of the first virtual implant into the second virtual implant, to determine a movement of the second virtual implant in response to a virtual force exerted by the first virtual implant, maintaining the first virtual implant and the second virtual implant at non-overlapping positions on the treatment surface; 
 calculate a radiation isodose plan indicative of an expected radiation dosage from combination of first radiation from the first physical implant and second radiation from the second physical implant, wherein the radiation isodose plan includes a plurality of isodose curves each indicative of a particular radiation level along the respective isodose curve and a plurality of fill patterns between adjacent isodose curves, wherein each fill pattern represents a radiation range between adjacent isodose curves; 
 depict the radiation isodose plan in the display frame, wherein the radiation isodose plan has a transparency of less than one hundred percent, such that at least a portion of the first and second virtual implants and the live medical images underneath the radiation isodose plan are visible; and 
 in response to a treatment plan generation command from a user of the computing system, generate treatment plan data including at least some of the first physical implant characteristics and at least some of the second physical implant characteristics. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The computing system of  claim 1 , wherein the program instructions are further configured to cause the computing system to:
 transmit the treatment plan data to an implant provider with a requested delivery date and location for delivery of physical implants associated with each of the virtual implants indicated in the treatment plan. 
 
     
     
       3. The computing system of  claim 2 , wherein the treatment plan data is automatically transmitted via an electronic communication to the implant provider. 
     
     
       4. The computing system of  claim 1 , wherein the program instructions are further configured to cause the computing system to:
 receive, from the user of the computing system, a request to update the live medical images to second live medical images of the patient, wherein the live medical images of the patient and the second live medical images of the patient depict a common plane of the patient's anatomy. 
 
     
     
       5. The computing system of  claim 4 , wherein the program instructions are further configured to cause the computing system to:
 execute a registration process to align anatomical features of the second live medical images with those of the live medical images such that each particular anatomical feature in the second live medical images will be rendered at a same location in the display frame as the particular anatomical feature is rendered in the live medical images displayed in the display frame. 
 
     
     
       6. The computing system of  claim 5 , wherein the program instructions are further configured to cause the computing system to:
 replace the live medical images with the second live medical images in the display frame, while maintaining display of the first virtual implant, the second virtual implant, and the radiation isodose plan. 
 
     
     
       7. The computing system of  claim 1 , wherein the planning user interface further includes an isodose level user interface control selectable by the user to adjust a plane parallel to the treatment surface of the live medical images at which the isodose curves are calculated, wherein adjustment of the plane initiates real-time updating and display of the radiation isodose plan at the updated plane. 
     
     
       8. The computing system of  claim 1 , wherein the planning user interface further includes an isodose transparency user interface control selectable by the user to adjust transparency of the radiation isodose plan. 
     
     
       9. The computing system of  claim 8 , wherein the isodose transparency user interface control includes a first transparency button that, when selected, adjusts transparency of the radiation isodose plan to fifty percent and a second transparency button that, when selected, adjusts transparency of the radiation isodose plan to seventy-five percent. 
     
     
       10. The computing system of  claim 1 , wherein the virtual implant toolbar further includes a seed strength user interface control selectable by the user to adjust seed strength of a selected virtual implant. 
     
     
       11. The computing system of  claim 10 , wherein seed strengths that are available for selection in the seed strength user interface control are limited to seed strengths that are available for use at a determine implantation time. 
     
     
       12. The computing system of  claim 1 , wherein the first virtual implant characteristics indicate a position of the first radioactive seed between a top and bottom surface of the first virtual implant, wherein the position has a default at a location wherein the first radioactive seed is closer to the top surface such that more radiation is emitted from a top surface of a corresponding physical implant than a bottom surface of the corresponding physical implant,
 wherein the virtual implant toolbar further includes a flip control and, in response to the user selecting the flip control and selecting the first virtual implant: 
 the position of the first radioactive seed between the top and bottom surfaces of the first virtual implant is updated so that the position of the first radioactive seed is closer to the bottom surface such that more radiation is emitted from the bottom surface of the corresponding physical implant than the top surface of the corresponding physical implant; and 
 the radiation isodose plan is updated to reflect any changes to the calculated expected radiation dosage. 
 
     
     
       13. The computing system of  claim 1 , wherein the virtual implant toolbar further includes a composite implant control configured to create an association between the first virtual implant and the second virtual implant, wherein in response to the user selecting the composite implant control a positional relation between the first virtual implant and the second virtual implant is determined and a composite implant comprising the first and second virtual implant in the determined positional relationship is defined, wherein the composite implant is moveable by movement of either of the first or second virtual implant. 
     
     
       14. The computing system of  claim 1 , wherein the virtual implant toolbar further includes a composite implant control configured to create a composite implant including two or more virtual implants each having common implant characteristics, wherein the composite implant is displayed in the display frame and is moveable in response to movement of any of the two or more virtual implants. 
     
     
       15. The computing system of  claim 13 , wherein the virtual implant toolbar further includes a flip control and, in response to the user selecting the flip control and selecting the first virtual implant of the composite implant, the first virtual implant is disassociated from the composite implant such that a position of a first seed in the first virtual implant is updated, but a position of the second radioactive seed in the second virtual implant is not updated. 
     
     
       16. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing program instructions configured for execution by one or more computer processors to cause a computing system to:
 generate a planning user interface including at least
 a display frame for viewing anatomical images; and 
 a virtual implant toolbar including at least a first selectable tool configured to allow adding of virtual implants to the display frame; 
 
 display the planning user interface on a display device of the computing system; 
 receive, from a medical imaging device, a live image of a treatment surface of a patient; 
 display the live image in the display frame of the planning user interface; 
 receive, via user interaction with the first selectable tool, selection of first virtual implant characteristics for a first virtual implant to be added to a treatment plan for the patient, the first virtual implant characteristics defining first physical implant characteristics of a first physical implant adapted for placement on the treatment surface of the patient, the first physical implant characteristics including at least
 a first implant shape, 
 a first implant size, and 
 a first radiation characteristic of a first radioactive seed associated with the first virtual implant, 
 wherein the first radioactive seed is embedded within the first physical implant at a position wherein the first radioactive seed does not directly contact the treatment surface of the patient when the first physical implant is placed on the treatment surface of the patient; 
 
 receive, via user interaction with the first selectable tool, selection of second virtual implant characteristics for a second virtual implant to be added to a treatment plan for the patient, the second virtual implant characteristics defining second physical implant characteristics of a second physical implant adapted for placement on the treatment surface of the patient, the second physical implant characteristics including at least
 a second implant shape, 
 a second implant size, and 
 a second radiation characteristic of a second radioactive seed associated with the second virtual implant, 
 wherein the second radioactive seed is embedded within the second physical implant at a position wherein the second radioactive seed does not directly contact the treatment surface of the patient when the second physical implant is placed on the treatment surface of the patient; 
 
 display the first virtual implant and the second virtual implant in the display frame at non-overlapping positions on the treatment surface of the patient depicted in the display frame, wherein the first and second virtual implants are at least partially transparent such that a portion of the live image whereupon the first and second virtual implants are placed is visible through the at least partially transparent first and second virtual implants; 
 receive, via user interaction with the virtual implant toolbar, selection of a second selectable tool configured to initiate movement of a selected one or more virtual implants within the display frame; 
 receive movement inputs associated with the first virtual implant causing the first virtual implant to contact the second virtual implant; 
 apply a physics algorithm, based on the movement of the first virtual implant into the second virtual implant, to determine a movement of the second virtual implant in response to a virtual force exerted by the first virtual implant, maintaining the first virtual implant and the second virtual implant at non-overlapping positions on the treatment surface; 
 calculate a radiation isodose plan indicative of an expected radiation dosage from combination of first radiation from the first physical implant and second radiation from the second physical implant, wherein the radiation isodose plan includes a plurality of isodose curves each indicative of a particular radiation level along the respective isodose curve and a plurality of fill patterns between adjacent isodose curves, wherein each fill pattern represents a radiation range between adjacent isodose curves; 
 depict the radiation isodose plan in the display frame, wherein the radiation isodose plan has a transparency of less than one hundred percent, such that at least a portion of the first and second virtual implants and the live image underneath the radiation isodose plan are visible; and 
 in response to a treatment plan generation command from a user of the computing system, generate treatment plan data including at least some of the first physical implant characteristics and at least some of the second physical implant characteristics. 
 
     
     
       17. A method performed by a computing system having one or more computer processors, the method comprising:
 generating a planning user interface including at least
 a display frame for viewing anatomical images; and 
 a virtual implant toolbar including at least a first selectable tool configured to allow adding of virtual implants to the display frame; 
 
 displaying the planning user interface on a display device of the computing system; 
 receiving, from a medical imaging device, a live image of a treatment surface of a patient; 
 displaying the live image in the display frame of the planning user interface; 
 receiving, via user interaction with the first selectable tool, selection of first virtual implant characteristics for a first virtual implant to be added to a treatment plan for the patient, the first virtual implant characteristics defining first physical implant characteristics of a first physical implant adapted for placement on the treatment surface of the patient, the first physical implant characteristics including at least
 a first implant shape, 
 a first implant size, and 
 a first radiation characteristic of a first radioactive seed associated with the first virtual implant, 
 wherein the first radioactive seed is embedded within the first physical implant at a position wherein the first radioactive seed does not directly contact the treatment surface of the patient when the first physical implant is placed on the treatment surface of the patient; 
 
 receiving, via user interaction with the first selectable tool, selection of second virtual implant characteristics for a second virtual implant to be added to a treatment plan for the patient, the second virtual implant characteristics defining second physical implant characteristics of a second physical implant adapted for placement on the treatment surface of the patient, the second physical implant characteristics including at least
 a second implant shape, 
 a second implant size, and 
 a second radiation characteristic of a second radioactive seed associated with the second virtual implant, 
 wherein the second radioactive seed is embedded within the second physical implant at a position wherein the second radioactive seed does not directly contact the treatment surface of the patient when the second physical implant is placed on the treatment surface of the patient; 
 
 displaying the first virtual implant and the second virtual implant in the display frame at non-overlapping positions on the treatment surface of the patient depicted in the display frame, wherein the first and second virtual implants are at least partially transparent such that a portion of the live image whereupon the first and second virtual implants are placed is visible through the at least partially transparent first and second virtual implants; 
 receiving, via user interaction with the virtual implant toolbar, selection of a second selectable tool configured to initiate movement of a selected one or more virtual implants within the display frame; 
 receiving movement inputs associated with the first virtual implant causing the first virtual implant to contact the second virtual implant; 
 applying a physics algorithm, based on the movement of the first virtual implant into the second virtual implant, to determine a movement of the second virtual implant in response to a virtual force exerted by the first virtual implant, maintaining the first virtual implant and the second virtual implant at non-overlapping positions on the treatment surface; 
 calculating a radiation isodose plan indicative of an expected radiation dosage from combination of first radiation from the first physical implant and second radiation from the second physical implant, wherein the radiation isodose plan includes a plurality of isodose curves each indicative of a particular radiation level along the respective isodose curve and a plurality of fill patterns between adjacent isodose curves, wherein each fill pattern represents a radiation range between adjacent isodose curves; 
 depicting the radiation isodose plan in the display frame, wherein the radiation isodose plan has a transparency of less than one hundred percent, such that at least a portion of the first and second virtual implants and the live image underneath the radiation isodose plan are visible; and 
 in response to a treatment plan generation command from a user of the computing system, generating treatment plan data including at least some of the first physical implant characteristics and at least some of the second physical implant characteristics.